Draft-gear.



l. F. COURSON.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I8. 1916.

Patented Aug.

i JOHN F. COURSON, PITCAIRN, PENNSYLVANIA.

' DRAFT-GEAR.

mamar.

To aZZ'tUwm t may concern.'

Beitknown that I, Jon-N F. CoURsoN, a citizen of theUnited States,residing at 124 Third street, Pitcairn, in the county of Allegheny andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Draft-Gears, `of which the following is a specification. 1 e

My invention is an improvement in draft gears,v and is designed'toprovide for absorption of the shocks of bufling andv pulling strains bymeans of an annular spring. Such spring is `so mounted within` asuitable framework as to be elongated in "oneor the other of twoopposite directions whereby the sides ofthe springare changed inposition in a direction Opposite to their resilient tendency and withasteadily increasing resistance proportioned to the strain, effecting .a

'resulting reactionv and desirable.' resistance.

y the gear in compression,due to bufling.`

Fig. 5 is a detail annular spring.

perspective view of the Fig. 6l is a similar view of the drawbai"shackle frame. l Fig. 7 is a similar view of one yof the key bearing caps.`

Fig. S is a detail view, partly broken away,

showing a modified construction utilizing a supplemental spring. f

In the drawings, 2 represents the drawbar of a coupler connected withthe front end portions of a double-sided shackle frame 3 by a transversebolt -or key 4 engaging holes 5 thereof. The sides of frame 3 areconnected by a cross bar 'against which bears the rear end of drawbar 2and the frame is mounted between the center sills 7, 7, upon transversekeys or bolts 8, 9, which in turn eXtend by their endsthrough slots 10,10, and 11, 11, of the center sills. Slots 1.0 and 11 extend forwardlyand backwardly beyond intervening i'einforced `bearing portions 12 ofthe center' sills against which keys f Specification of Letters Patent.

position, indi-` of 'the Spring patenten aug. ai, reir;

Application inea December is, 1916; serial N. 137,496.

and`9 bear,and' which resists key 8A in ing and key 9 in pulling underthe strain of the annular spring in onedirection oi' the other. Shackleframe 3 is likewise provided with slots 13, 13, and la, la, which extendforwardly and backwardly beyond interveningbearing portions 15, 15,which also engage keys 8 and 9, pullingkey S forwardly in pulling andpushing key 9 rearwardly in buliing. As will be seen slots l0, 11, 13and 14 ai'e of ample length to `provide clearance i for fullinovement ofthe keys.`

lThe active shock absorbing element ofthe geai' is an annular' springlof one or `more continuous bands of suitable resilient metal,

as steel, and which is preferably of oval form, as shown in Figs. 1, l.and 5. Said spring embraces keys S and 9 the keysfprefei'ably havingU-shaped" beai'ing thimbles or shoes 17 surrounding their outer edges`as sl'iown, andprovi'ding ample beai'ing surface for the spring at eachinner end portion.

If desired, a supplemental compression spring 18 maybe inserted betweenthe oppositel sides'of spring 1G as in Fig. 8,` so as to reinforce itand supplement its resistance against collapsing' strains.

' In action, bearings 15 of frame 3 thrust key 9 backwardly inbufling,key 8 remaining stationary as resisted by 4bearings 12 and providing astop .for` the front loop of spring` 16.' Backward' movement of key 9tendsto elongate the spring .as in Fig. 4:. bringing its sides `towardeach other,` and with a counteractiiigresistance which `increases ,withthe` strain of bufling. In the same mannerbearings 15 thrust key,Sforwardly'in pulling,

key 9' remaining stationary against bearings 12 and providing .a `stopfor the rear ,loop which is elongated in the same manner withcorresponding resistance. In either movement the action is the saine,and with either the annular spring alone, or reinforced as inv F ig. 8,the resistance to either builing or pulling sti'ains is very great,espel cially as the sides of the spring approach parallelism. "D

The construction and operation of the gear will be readily understoodfrom the foregoing description, and it will be found to provide asimple, economical and highly efficient. means for exerting greatresistance.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A draft gear consistingof a slotted frame adapted to be connected toadrawbar or the like, abutinents external of the frame,

keys extending through the slotted frame and engaging said abutments,and a spring embracing said keys.

2. In combination with iixed abutments, a e

longitudinally movable trame provided with bearing portions betweenclearance open-- ings, a pair of transversekeys extending at each sideof lsaid bearing portions through said openings and adapted toengagesaid abutments, and an'annularspring embracing said keys.` Y' i 3.In combination with center sills having bearing abutmentsbetween front`and rear clearance openings, a draw bar, a Ytrame connected with thedraw bar and having bearing portions between front and rear clearanceopenings, a pair of transverse keys extending through all ot saidclearance openings'and engaging said bearing portions and abutments yrespectively, and an annular springembracing said keys between the sidesy of said trame.

` 4L. In combination with center sills having bearing abutments betweenfront and rear clearance openings, a draw bar, a double sidedramefconnected with the draw bar and having bearing portions betweenfront and rear clearance openings, a pair of transverse keys extendingthrough all of said clearance openings and engaging said bearingportions and abu'tments respectively, and

an annular spring embracing said keys be? tween .the sides of saidframe. l

5.l In combination with center sills having bearing abutments betweenfront and rear clearance openings, a ydraw bar, a double sided .frameconnected with the draw bar and having bearing portions between frontandrear clearancel openings, a pairot transverse keys extendingthroughall" of said clearance openings rand engaging saidbear ing portions andvabutments respectively,

' bearing thimbles on the outer middle portions of said keys, and anannular spring embracing said `,keys and thimbles `between the sides ofsaid frame.

6. In combination with center sills having bearing abutments betweenfront and rear clearance openings, a draw bar, a double sided trameconnected with the draw bar and having bearing portions between frontand rear clearance openings, a pair ot transverse keys extending throughall of said clearance openings and engaging said bearing portions anclabutments respectively, an annular spring embracing said keys betweenthesides of said frame, and a supplemental compression spring betweenthe opposite sides of said annular spring.

7. Inl a (rear, a pair of separable keys, in tervening bearingstherefor, means for moving one key away from the other, and an annularspring embracing said keys.

8. In a gear, a pair of separable keys, intervening bearings therefor',a frame engag ing the inner portion of each of said keys and operable tomove one away trom the other, and an annular spring embracing said keys.c 9. In a gear, a pair of separable keys, intervening bearings therefor,a drawbar, a frame connected to the drawbar engaging the inner portionof each of said keys and operable to move one away from the other, andan annular spring embracing said keys.

10. In a gear, a continuous annular spring, a pair of separable tensionexerting members extending through the spring, intervening resistingabutments -for said members, and means tor moving one of said membersaway from the other to exert tension on the spring.

11. In a gear, a continuous annular spring, a pair of separable tensionexerting members extending through the spring, intervening resistingabutments Jfor said members, a drawbar, and a frame connected to thedrawbar having portions engaging between said membersv :tor `moving oneaway from the other to exert tension on the spring.

` In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix my signature. l

JOHN F. COURSON.

l Copiesfof this patent'may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patent.

Washington, D. C.

